The Whistling Gale: Lyrical of Time
by Lone Wolf NEO
Summary: Our story just begins, and people say the first meeting is usually the most memorable of all. So as our main character meets the aces, how is she going to adapt to her new life as the bureau's officer? Chapter updated.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE  
WHEN TIME WAS FREE…**

_// eight of years ago, Swiss Alps //_

"What must we do, sir?"

The old man observed the area. It was a complete carnage. The entire valley was buried in mud. Some soldiers were seen collecting bodies from beneath the remains, while others performed post-disaster inspection. Everywhere stalagmites and megalith-like structures prodded out of the earth, creating natural monuments around the landscape. From the scale of destruction, the old man was certain survival of the disaster would depend entirely on luck and fate.

He looked down. The three-years-old girl said no words; she was staring at her dusty hands, unaware of the catastrophe that unfolded itself before her.

"I'll take responsibility. I'm taking her."

"With due respect, sir, your assistance here is urgently needed," the soldier protested. "This girl can wait."

"There's no need for argument, private," the old man reminded. "I alone understand her better than anyone else."

"S… sorry, sir," the soldier apologized.

The robed man next to the old man sniffed the air. He winced in disgust; even his ears tingled in reaction. "The smell of death… it irritates my nose," he murmured.

The old man ignored the commotion. He knelt down and patted the girl's head. "Annabelle." It caught her attention, and she moved her head so that she looked up at her.

"…yes?"

"Would you like to come with Grandpa?"

The girl looked around her. Then at the accompanying soldier and the robed man who gazed at her in interest. Then she turned back to the old man. "But what happened to Papa and Mama?" she asked. "They said they'd come back for dinner."

Her innocence is absolute, the old man pondered. She had no idea that her parents had perished in the landslide. "Your parents will be alright," he lied. She was too young to learn the truth, yet it was better than telling nothing.

"Oh… okay."

He stood back. He corrected his dust-covered Barrier Jacket. "Return to command post," he told the soldier. "Inform HQ that I need further reports regarding the landslide."

"Yes, sir!" The soldier ran down the hill and headed to a camp at the western edge of the valley, leaving the old man with the girl and the robed man.

He turned to the robed man. "Leonidas, bring this girl to the ship," he uttered. "I'll catch up with you later. I need some privacy here."

The robed man nodded. "Yes, master." He approached the girl and offered her his hand. "Little girl, your master asked me to bring you to the ship. Please follow me."

The girl looked at him. She was perplexed at his weird appearance. Yet she did not hesitate and took his hand. "Say, can I ask something about your ears?" she asked and their conversation took place, even as they headed to a ship at the north-eastern section of the site. He looked at them for a while before he threw his sight to the evening sky up above.

_He sighed. "If only I could turn back the time…"_

x-x-x-x-x

**Author's note**: please note that although this arc takes place during _and_ after all events in _Heart of Melting Blood: __the Whistling Gale_, it is deemed necessary to put in at least some insight of the Chrono magic and its significance to the course of timeline. _Lyrical of Time_ may also give readers some hint of the history of The Gale Whistlers, and the relationship of Chrono magic with Lost Logia, or "Ancient Knowledge" as it will be referred to throughout this story.

Anyway, I present to you…

**Heart of Melting Blood  
The Whistling Gale  
Lyrical of Time**

**Written by**:  
Lone Wolf NEO

**Conceived by**:  
Lone Wolf NEO


	2. First Meet

**Lyrical of Time  
Charter 01 -- First Meet**

_// 20 May, Trevor City Airport, Mid-Childa //_

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just landed. For convenience, please remain seated until the train fully stops. Please be careful while opening the overhead baggage compartment and make sure none of your belongings are left behind. Should you need assistance upon arrival, our crews are ready to assist. We are very proud to be a part of this marvellous trip and we look forward to meeting again in the future. On behalf of Galaxy Express 10211, I wish you a very pleasant day."

She stepped out of the train. Slowly she walked her way to the nearest escalator and headed to the arrival terminal. The wheeled luggage was pulled along, as she carefully navigated through the myriads of people. The all-olive green blouse; the summer hat; the ruby eyes perfectly matched with the satin tresses; anyone who had an eye upon her could not help falling in love at first sight.

She halted. She had arrived at the arrival terminal. _Here is the place I'm supposed to meet them_, she thought and sat on nearby chair. _But they aren't here. Am I a bit too early_? Taking the chance from her early arrival, she looked around, watching the people and their many personas.

"_Anou_… Enfield-_san_?"

She looked up. A teen was standing in front of her. "Yes?"

"I was told to meet you here and bring you to the headquarters," the teen answered and offered her his hand. "Pleased to meet you. Second-Class Tactical Instructor, Kazahana Shinnosuke." The girl kept staring at him, unaware of the handshake he was presenting. "Ah, _souka_. I forgot. You aren't used to foreigners, I can see than." He took the baggage and carried it with much difficulty, not taking care of the girl who was staring at him. "Boy, this surely looks heavy. Do you come here alone, Enfield-_san_?"

"Umm… yes," the girl replied.

"Your homeland is quite far from here, isn't it?" the teen asked (the girl just nodded to answer it). "You have quite the wit to come here all by yourself. I'm wondering why your guardian doesn't want to come along with you."

"Umm… you see…" the girl tried reasoning.

The teen laughed. "Oh, don't worry about him. I'm sure Merlin-_san_ has to finish his works firsthand."

The two people arrived at the parking lot. They headed to a waiting SUV and left the railway station. Along the trip that took them criss-crossing the city (Shinnosuke suggested that they took a quick tour around Trevor City before heading to headquarters) the young instructor wouldn't stop talking on his job at the Time-Space Administrative Bureau, much to the chagrin of the driver. The girl remained silent, too shy to speak to him or the rest of the passengers. Yet she took time looking out of the window, watching in utter awe the landscape of the city. She was fascinated, having never seen any mega structures up close.

The SUV slowed down. Everyone but the girl looked forward. They were surprised; there was traffic congestion up ahead, and it stretched along the 15-kilometre road heading to the toll plaza. "That's strange. I thought there's not going to be traffic jam," Shinnosuke uttered and turned on the radio. "I wonder if there's anything interesting on the air."

"_This just came in. A collision between the Army's infantry convoy and a chemical truck has caused a traffic jam on the road heading to Ironside Toll Plaza. Efforts are being done by fire and rescue department to clean up the scene and evacuating victims, while police is diverting oncoming traffic--"_

"An accident?" He stepped out of the SUV and observed the scene. True enough, as seen on his binocular, fire brigades were congregated at one section of the highway trying to prevent chemical residue from spreading all over the road. The driver of an IFV that took direct hit from the collision, shaken but unhurt, was evacuated to safe area, leaving the stricken vehicle to military engineers to pull out. "I don't think we can arrive in time," he pondered and made contact with HQ. "Base Command, this is Omega Leader. There's a traffic jam at Kilometre 15 heading to Ironside Toll Plaza. Currently unable to continue trip. Please advice."

"_This is Base Command. Omega Leader, you are advised to remain at your current position. We'll send Lost Property Riot Force 6 to assist."_

"Copy that, Base Command--"

The highway trembled. Horn-barking and foul cries from road users died. Everyone stepped out of their vehicle, only to watch in horror as mushroom cloud rose from the accident area. Bright orange flame blazed violently, setting everything it touched on fire. Terrified, most drivers and passengers fled the area, and chaos took over as they ran for their lives.

"Base Command, we have Code Alert! I repeat, we have Code Red--"

An explosion set off. This time it took the fire-fighters by surprise. Most of them had fallen to the explosion, and many more were injured. Shinnosuke was aghast; there would be more casualties if he did not act fast.

_And he had to_.

He took out a buckle. He lifted it to the air. "Jaguar, activate!"

--"_Acknowledge. Barrier Jacket set up."--_

A bluish light engulfed Shinnosuke. Moments later he was released from the light, fully dressed up in Barrier Jacket. He waited no time and headed straight to the inferno, directly into the source of the explosion. The Mid-Childan mage immediately created a wall of heavy water and sent it crashing onto the flame. It was not enough to set it off, but it gave him enough time to tell the fire brigades to retreat. He turned back to the site and was greeted by a massive blast that sent the IFV flying toward him.

"_Aqua Shield."_

A liquid barricade materialized between Shinnosuke and the IFV. It blocked the flying projectile and endured its impact before he brought it onto the asphalt surface. "Thanks, Jaguar. You saved my life."

"_You're welcome, sir."_

Several more explosions took place, and the young mage realized things were getting out of hand. The fire was getting out of control, yet he could not leave the site until reinforcement arrived, so he cast a ring of water barrier around explosion radius to prevent it from spreading.

"I hope I can endure a bit longer…"

x-x-x-x-x

_// 600 feet above ground level //_

"_This is Base Command. Lieutenant, can you read me?"_

"I read you. Proceed."

"_There's an explosion at Kilometre 15, Ironside Highway. Tactical Instructor Kazahana is at the scene. Immediately assistance is urgently needed."_

Nanoha looked down. The disaster was visible from her position. "Base Command, I have visual contact on the site. I'm moving in."

"_Roger. Please be careful."_

Nanoha descended. She landed on an empty section of the highway. She could already see water barrier up ahead. A series of explosions took place inside the barrier, and she knew something terrible was going on.

The barrier inexplicably broke off. One of the blasts was so colossal it shattered the barrier and turned it into rain. Shinnosuke was seen flying and tumbling down the road, crashing next to Nanoha. He hastened to get up and tried recasting the barrier but he fell onto his knees. "_Kuso_! I must stop the explosion somehow!" he cried out.

"Shin-_chan_!" Nanoha helped him getting back on his foot. "Are you alright?"

"Nanoha-_san_, we have to prevent the explosion from destroying the entire area," Shinnosuke urged. Already battered after exposed to the punishing shockwave, and too weak to continue casting magic spells, he could only watch the ravaging fire in despair. "Somehow…"

--"_Unknown magic energy detected."--_

Raising Heart glowed. So did Shinnosuke's Storage Device. The two Tactical Instructors looked around and saw a pair of hexagonal symbol materializing in midair, sandwiching the whole inferno and enveloping it with force field. "Hexagon symbol?" Nanoha asked. "What kind of magic is it?"

"_Masaka!"_ Shinnosuke gasped.

x-x-x-x-x

The girl stood firm. Despite the driver's advice to leave the situation to the bureau, she insisted to help Shinnosuke in her own way. _If I can't approach the site,_ she pondered, _at least I can help Mister Kazahana from safe distance_. She knew what she was doing, and realized the consequence if the disaster was not brought under control.

She put her hand on her locket. She closed her eyes. "Excalibur."

--"_Yes, my lord."--_

She let go off the locket. She brought her hand forward. She calmed down.

Then she began.

"_I am the bone of my sword. Testament is my soul, and shadow is my blood.  
I have walked this land of thousand glories, unaware of fear, nor aware of existence.  
I withstood solitude to create one's illusion, waiting for one's destiny.  
I have no regret, this is the only path.  
So as I pray, my whole life is 'Unlimited Midnight Carnival'."_

Two hexagon-shaped magic symbols appeared, exactly at where the site was. They sandwiched the burning wreckages and enveloped them with force field. She did not realize it, but everyone around her began to experience the sensation of entering a 'surreal world', and for a while fear enveloped the area.

Her eyes opened. Her hand clenched. "Disappear."

The "magic cage" slowly dissipated, taking the explosion and its lethal residue to the realm of non-existence. All that was left behind were the vehicles, totally burnt to scraped metals. Astounded, although wary, people approached the site and found it free off toxic substance that would otherwise kill them.

The girl took a deep breath. She was relieved; the inevitable had been prevented. She put her hand on her chest, clenching the locket as her eyes slowly closed.

"_Are you alright, my lord?"_

"I don't know," she answered, "but I feel so tired…"

She wavered. She toppled for a while, losing balance off her feet. She collapsed, and fell to the asphalt surface. He body did not touch the road as a pair of arms caught her body. Weakened by the ceremonial spell, the girl still managed to look up at the person. It was not Shinnosuke, the teen who had greeted her at the railway station.

_It was a young woman_.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

_Who… are you?_

Then everything became pitch black…

x-x-x-x-x

"Wow, she looks pretty messed up. What happened?"

"I don't know, but Nanoha-_san_ told me she fainted after doing something."

"Is she the new recruit _ojiichan's_ been talking of? Golly, she does look _kawaii_!"

"Hush, Anna-_chan_. You're making too much noise."

"Shamal-_oneechan_, you're so mean!"

"Hey, hey, she's waking up."

Slowly she opened her eyes. She found herself lying on a bed, and the strong medicine odour suggested that she was in the hospital. She looked up and saw five pair of eyes looked down at her: relief, anxious, worried, and unsure. She was perplexed.

Finally she voiced out. "Where… am I?"

"You're at the headquarters," she head Shinnosuke telling him. "We managed to arrive in time for dinner. The disaster was put under control; you don't have to worry about it."

"Disaster…?" she asked.

"You mean the explosion that almost destroyed the whole section of the highway." She turned around and saw a woman staring at her. The slate blue eyes; it was the same eyes she had seen into that time. It reminded her of the person who caught her in her arms.

"You are…"

The woman smiled. "Lost Property Riot Force 6, Takamachi Nanoha," she introduced. "Pleased to meet you, Enfield-_san_."

The girl was too weak to say anything. The ceremonial spell she cast consumed a lot of her strength, and the remaining force she had was barely enough to keep her awake. The people who surrounded the bed waited for her speech, before one of them clapped her hands. "Anyway, it's best to leave her until she fully recovers. That magic spell must have worn her out," the blonde, short-haired woman told them.

"But I thought we're going to have dinner with her!" a little girl cried out.

The woman giggled and patted the girl's scalp. "I know, Anna-_chan_. You're very eager to be teamed up with your new partner, aren't you?" she asked.

"But with whom I'm supposed to play?" the girl mumbled. "Yuuno-_oniichan_ is busy with his assignments, Leo-_chan_ doesn't want to come with me, and…" She inexplicably approached the girl and took her hand. "_Ne_, _ne_, you must promise to come and play with me once you recover! Okay?" she urged.

The ruby-eyed girl did not know what the young girl wanted, but slowly nodded. "Alright, I will."

The girl cheered and let go off her hands. She proceeded to dance around the medical room, shouting "we're going to play! _Yatta_! We're going to play!" along the way. She ignored the commotion and turned to Shinnosuke. "M… Mister Kazahana… Miss Takamachi…"

"Nanoha is fine with me," Nanoha reminded.

"You can call me Shin as well," Shinnosuke replied.

The girl was silent. She looked at the rest of the people (save Shamal who was chasing the energetic girl around). She blushed. "I…" She breathed deeply. She put her hand on her chest. She wanted to introduce her name, yet she found her tongue shackled. "I…"

"Go on, Enfield-_san_. We know you want to introduce yourself to us," Shinnosuke said. Nanoha nodded to agree.

After minutes of self-doubt, she finally got the strength. "My name…" She was smiling, despite the more apparent tint on her delicate cheeks. "My name is… Alexandra Enfield. I… I'm very pleased to meet each… and every one of you."

"Fate T. Haraoun," the woman with blonde tresses spoke. "You can call me Fate."

"The girl who spoke to you just now is Annabelle Gato," Shinnosuke said and pointed to the person. "And that will be Shamal, the bureau's medical chief."

"Yagami Hayate," the brunette woman added and waved a salute. "_Yoroshiku ne_, Alex-_chan_!"

_Alexandra smiled. Broadly. "Thank you, everyone…"_


End file.
